Visiting Lithuania

Church of the Holy Spirit

The Church of the Holy Spirit in Vilnius houses the original painting of Divine Mercy as revealed to Blessed Sister Faustina by Jesus.

The church serves as the main center for the Catholic Polish-speaking community in Vilnius and is administered by the Dominicans. It is the only sanctuary in Vilnius where Mass is said only in Polish.

The Church of the Holy Spirit has a splendid gold-and-white interior. A remarkable crucifix, “brought to life” by the incoming daylight, is above the main altar. The original painting of the Divine Mercy is enshrined above a side altar.

Pope John Paul II visited the shrine and prayed before the sacred image in 1993.

The Chaplet of Divine Mercy is traditionally said at three o'clock every day. In Jesus' revelations to Blessed Faustina, he asked for a daily remembrance of his Passion at the very hour that recalls his death on the cross.

About The Original Painting of Divine Mercy

Jesus appeared to Sister Maria Faustina Kowalska at her convent in Plock, Poland, on the first Sunday of Lent in 1931. Jesus instructed her, in a vision, to have a picture painted as she saw Him – with His right hand raised in blessing and His left hand slightly touching his chest and red and pale rays of light streaming from His Heart.

But Sister Faustina did not confide in anyone until 1934, when she told her new spiritual director at a convent in Vilnius about the dream. After much hesitation, he found an artist from Vilnius to create the image. Eugeniusz Kazimirowski, the artist, completed the painting in 1934 according to Faustina’s instructions.

Three years later Faustina's spiritual confessor consecrated the image and placed it near the high altar in his church. It remained here until 1948, when St. Michael's Church had to be closed.
For the next thirty years, the painting was moved from place to place, until it arrived at the Church of the Holy Spirit in 1987.

Today, millions around the world pray before a replica of the image as they say, “Jesus, have mercy on us, and on the whole world.”

The painting of the first image of Divine Mercy is enshrined above a side altar in the Church of the Holy Spirit.